PM Khan was scheduled to arrive in Quetta today (April 18) to visit bereaved families of the victims.
However, Special Assistant to PM on Media Affairs Yousuf Baig Mirza told Express that PM Imran has postponed the trip. Khan will pay visit to the grieving families tomorrow or day after tomorrow.
The decision has come hours after Finance Minister Asad Umar announced that he had decided to step down. Umar said that he was offered the energy portfolio but requested the PM to not be granted a cabinet position.
On Wednesday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Asif Saeed Khosa expressed disappointment over the lack of government interest in resolving issues of the Hazara Community.
“Hazara Community is protesting but no one is paying any heed to it,” chief justice regretted while addressing an event organized by Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (SCBAP).
At least 20 people including two children were killed and 48 others sustained injuries in an explosion at Quetta’s Hazarganji market on Friday.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed to Dawn that the attack was aimed at the Hazara community. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was placed inside a sack carrying potatoes. The attack occurred at a greengrocer’s shop.
Reports confirmed that Quetta’s Shia Hazara community was the target and half of the dead among the total were Hazara people. “It is a sectarian violence incident and the target was the Hazara Community,” Deputy Inspector General of Police told the media.